Physical Therapy Sponsorship for Special Needs Children and Adults from Indigent Families  

Stepping Stone Foundation provides quality special education, pre-vocational training, and speech, occupational and physical therapy for individuals with learning and behavioural difficulties.  

With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will:

• provide a sponsorship grant for children and adults living with physical and intellectual disabilities in Manila to attend virtual and face-to-face physical therapy sessions for 12 months 
• conduct an evaluation to assess areas of function and develop a treatment plan to meet the patient’s specific needs 
• develop a progress report and adjust the treatment plan as required.   

It is expected that these grant recipients will have significant improvements in behaviour, locomotor skills, self-help skills, social skills, perceptual motor skills and fine motor skills. 

 Psychosocial Support for Children Diagnosed with Cancer and Chronic Illnesses 

Kythe Foundation delivers an integrated approach aimed at addressing the anxieties experienced during medical confinement.  

When a child is diagnosed with cancer or a chronic illness, it becomes a family crisis. Hospitalisation creates a huge amount of stress and anxiety for the entire household, which can deter patients from seeking medical treatment and limit their compliance with medical protocol. Kythe's Child Life Services promotes a happy and meaningful childhood experience despite hospitalisation.   

With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will: 

• hold monthly 1-2 hour interactions between volunteers and hospitalised children in structured, age-appropriate and educational activities like storytelling, arts and crafts, and board games
• deliver unstructured sessions to create a safe space for the children, allowing them to verbalise their thoughts and feelings about what they are going through
• facilitate self-care time for primary carers each quarter for 30-40 parents
• arrange ‘celebrate life parties’ to celebrate hospitalised children’s birthdays each month.  

Alternate Livelihood Through Sustainable Farming and Aquaculture in the Village and Community for the Deaf 

Welcome Home Foundation, Inc. (WHFI) aims to meet the needs of profoundly deaf and hard-of-hearing people in the Philippines.   

WHFI has built homes and a day-care centre in an area that is prone to flooding, and food production is hindered by an unstable water source. The buildings were devastated by Typhoon Yolanda in 2013, and Typhoon Odette in 2021.  

WHFI aims to rehabilitate the area and transform it into a community centre that will serve people who are deaf, their families, and the coastal village surrounding it. 

With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will: 

• provide training in food production and farming for people who are deaf and their families
• conduct training for the hearing community in sign language, urban gardening, small-scale raised vegetable garden beds, and small-scale hydroponics. 

Strengthening Governance, Management and Programming Activities to Further Empower Filipino Migrant Women 

The Development Action for Women Network (DAWN) assists and empowers marginalised and disadvantaged Filipino Migrant Women to become productive members of society. 

The COVID-19 pandemic and economic shockwaves from the Russia-Ukraine conflict have had a cascading impact on survivors of gender-based violence and trafficking in the Philippines.  

This project will enable the delivery of a program to advocate for victims of gender-based violence and trafficking to become survivors who lead fulfilling lives, empowering them to transition to advocates themselves.  

With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will: 

• deliver two life skills training sessions in self-care and health and wellbeing for DAWN staff 
• deliver online computer literacy training in basic software competence to help DAWN staff to carry out organisational tasks and instruct members in these skills
• plan, develop and compile documentation to support the sustainability of the new capacity building program.  

eCommerce empowerment training program for Filipino migrant women

The Development Action for Women Network (DAWN) is supporting Filipino people, especially returning distressed migrant women and their children, through services that strengthen their dignity.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused the repatriation of more than 400,000 Filipino female migrant workers. These women and their children are highly vulnerable to human trafficking, labour exploitation, gender-based violence and mental health issues.

DAWN and SIKHAY currently work in Manila with government agencies and international organisations building the self-sustainability of repatriated women. This project will create an eCommerce website to market SIKHAY’s alternative livelihood products, providing a live training platform for SIKHAY participants.

With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will:

• develop a new SIKHAY eCommerce website to market and sell products online
• develop training materials on eCommerce and the digital transformation of women-owned alternative livelihood projects
• train staff to deliver eCommerce courses for alternative livelihood projects to women migrant returnees.

Faced with the unpredictability of the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses are adapting to the digital marketplace in order to succeed. This project builds on SIKHAY’s retail operations and will complement the current Entrepreneurial Skills Training Program. Learning to use digital platforms will improve sales, marketing, administration, and service delivery. Applying this knowledge will strengthen the resilience and sustainability of the participants’ alternative livelihood projects.

Child nutrition monitoring 

The Municipality of Canaman (LGU Canaman) will develop and implement a solution for monitoring the progress of child nutrition programs to support the good health of children aged 0-5 years.

Currently, child nutrition data is gathered quarterly by Barangay (village) Nutrition Scholars (BNS) using pen and paper. An Excel tool developed by the National Nutrition Council could be utilised to record the child’s personal information and allow their nutritional status to be automatically calculated and easily added to reports. ‍

With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will:

• define the requirements for the Barangay Nutrition Program solution
• procure tablets for the program
• develop an app that allows the BNS to input data on a tablet and link to the database
• train 24 BNS to use the new software.

This project will enable the collection of vital information regarding children’s health to be recorded efficiently and accurately, and automatically uploaded to the Nutrition Council databases to be tracked over time. ‍

The Municipality is experienced with managing and maintaining software systems and there will be ongoing reviews on the need for future updates.

Vocational training skills for young adults 

Center for Excellence in Special Education will provide young people with training in barista, bread,  pastry and cookery so they can secure meaningful jobs and lift themselves out of poverty. With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, the project will target young people who currently live in poverty.  

Successful trainees will be given internship opportunities which could help them secure ongoing part-time or full-time job placements. This will help them to be independent after the project has finished. 

Project staff will visit communities to hold town hall sessions and provide an overview of the training being offered. Participants will be supported with food and transport allowances. 

Sustainable food security 

The Welcome Home Foundation will strengthen food security by supporting the expansion of its current gardening curriculum. It will fund a new greenhouse and upgrade of current facilities. Students will learn how to grow their own vegetables using applicable gardening techniques, through in-person and online classes.  

With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will: 

• construct a greenhouse that is designed to withstand changing weather patterns and increased rainfall 
• purchase and plant high quality vegetables, bamboo and tree seedlings 
• upgrade existing garden plots and facilities 
• purchase a laptop and internet connection for online classes. 

Trainers will teach essential gardening techniques to students so they can use these skills at home. This will help students to provide food for their families, while lowering their monthly food expenses. Students will also learn about waste management and recycling organic waste through the on-site worm farm. 

This project will empower people who are deaf or hard of hearing by improving their skills to naturally grow their own food and provide an alternative source of income. It will also strengthen students’ confident confidence as they prepare to enter the job market. 

The project will increase the capacity for the Welcome Home Foundation to produce vegetables and fresh fish throughout the year. It will also provide surplus produce for nearby communities.